Bedside bathing apparatus



Oct. 29, 1968 E. v. STEVENS BEDSIDE BATHING APPARATUS Filed March 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inw- - I NVENTOR. EUGENE I! Szz'mvs.

, A r/away United States Patent 3,407,411 BEDSIDE BATHING APPARATUS Eugene V. Stevens, 13359 Gibson St., 7 Glen Ellen, Calif. 95442 Filed Mar. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 538,358 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-185) My present invention relates to hospital equipment and more particularly to an apparatus for bathing bedridden and like patients at the bedside and it has for its object the provision of perambulatory apparatus with self contained facilities for bathing bedridden patients at bedside in a practical, effective and convenient manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self contained bedside bathing apparatus, having a bathing tub and a power driven hoist for lifting bedridden patients at bedside to a tub and back to bed in a safe and convenient manner that will be time saving and require a minimum of lifting on the part of an attendant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a perambulating apparatus having complete facilities for the bathing of bedridden patients at bedside, which has a self contained supply tank of fresh water, with a used Water collecting sump, water filter means and a pump for circulating water from said sump through said filtering means and back to said fresh water supply tank for further use.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of apparatus embodying my invention,

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the apparatus as shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing the interior of the apparatus with the top and slab removed,

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the fluid connections employed by my invention, and

FIGURE 5, is a schematic showing of a modification of the invention.

In hospitals and more particularly sanitariums, where there may be a large number of bedridden patients, the problem of periodic bathing is a complicated procedure which generally requires an attendant to accompany the patient to the bathing facility that is frequently located at some distance from the bedside, in some cases a wheelchair may be required. Therefore, the operation is extremely time consuming and to remedy this difficulty I have by my invention provided a bathing facility which can be moved from one bedside to another in a progressive manner without involving the loss of time that occurs when a patient has to be moved from the bed to the bathroom or similar facility at some distance from the bed. In other words, in large hospitals and sanitariums where there may be many bedridden patients who cannot be moved in the above described manner, the element of time is important and this can be reduced, as contemplated by my invention, to an irreducible minimum by bringing the bathing facility to the patient.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference is now first made to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings wherein the numeral designates generally a power propelled chassis having two spaced driving wheels 11 at one end and a single steering wheel 12 at the other end. For power the chassis may employ any suitable elec trical drive which is from batteries 13 controlled by foot treadles, 14 and 15, pedal 14 being for braking purposes and the pedal 15 for motor speed control. Above the treadles 14 and 15 there is a steering wheel 16, and adjacent thereto there is an on and off power switch 17. Extending upwardly at this end of the chassis 10 there is a swingable gib or hoist 18 having a pulley 19 at its end over which a load supporting cable 20 passes for connection with an electrically controlled hoist motor 21. A control switch 22 is provided with a control handle 23 that is connected thereto by suitable cables 24.

Extending completely over the area of the chassis 10 as shown in FIGURE 2, there is a bath water collecting slab or shallow tub 25 upon which a patient to be bathed is placed. At the far end of the chassis 10 there is an upstanding enclosure 26 having a control lever 27 for a hot and cold water mixing valve 28 and through which bath water is directed through a flexible hose connection 29 to a shower head spray 30. As here shown the slab 25 has a drain opening 31 that is connected to a bath water collecting tank as will hereinafter appear. Mounted within the chassis and below the tub or slab 25 there is a fresh water tank 32 designed to carry sufiicient fresh water to carry out a plurality of bathing operations without having to be replenished.

Mounted within the chassis 10 and below the fresh water tank as shown in FIGURE 3, there are suitable storage batteries 13 from which power for an electric driving motor 34, here shown in dotted outline, that is connected to the driving wheels 11 through a differential 35. Connected to the fresh water tank 32 there is a circulating pump 36 which is adapted and arranged to circulate fresh water from the tank 32 to a water heater 37 which flows to a mixing valve controlled by the valve operating lever 27 and through the flexible hose 29 to the shower spray head 30. In this showing the chassis also carries a sump tank 38 which, in accordance with one embodiment, invention is designed to collect the bath water as it drains from the tub or slab 25. Connected to the sump tank 38 there is a motor driven pump 39 through which used bath water is pumped from the sump tank 38 through the diatomaceous earth filter 40 for return through a pipe connection 56 to the fresh water tank 32. As indicated, this connection 56 has a two-way valve 57 which may be employed to direct the discharge from the filter 40 to a sewer inlet 58.

While the various hose connections and/or pipe connections between the shower head 30, the drain 31 and back to the sump tank 38 are shown, in the last referred to FIGURE 3, of the drawings, as including three twoway valves designated by the numerals 41, 42 and 43, reference is now made to FIGURE 4 of the drawing for a description of these connections and the valve arrangement. As here shown, the shower head 30 is connected to the mixing valve 28 through a flexible hose connection 29 and entering into this mixing valve 28 there is a conduit 44 that is connected through a valve 45 to the pressure side of the pump 36. This provides for a flow of cold water from the fresh water tank to the mixing valve 28. At the other port of the mixing valve 28 there is a conduit 46 which will conduct hot water from the hot water heater 37 when the valve 41 is opened to a pipe connection 46. As here shown, the drain outline 31 of the tub or slab 25 is connected through a pipe 47 to the valve 43 so that when the valve 43 is in one of its operating positions the drain water will be directed into a conduit 48 to a sewer connection 49. When the two-way valve 43 is in its other operating position, this drain water will flow from the valve 43 through a conduit 50 and to a strainer 51 to the valve 42, then through a conduit 52 and via a further pipe connection 53 to the sump tank 38. At this point, it should be explained that when the valve 41 is in its other position hot water from the water heater 37 may be directed through a connecting conduit 54 to the valve 42 and in a reverse direction back through the connection 52 to the filter or strainer 51 to the valve 43. This is to provide for a back washing of the strainer or filter 51, which in this instance will be through valve 43 to the sewer connection 49. To take care of the bath water discharged into the sump tank 38, there is a pump 39 which is adapted and arranged to pump water from the sump tank 38 through the diatomaceous earth filter 40 and back through conduit 56 to the fresh water supply tank 32. As a control for the pump 39 the sump tank 38 has a hydrostatically controlled relay 59 that is connected into the control circuit of the pump 39 so that the pump will operate only when the sump tank 38 has accumulated a pre-determined volume of bath water.

For an operation of my invention as described in connection with FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the slab 25 will be made ready for bathing a patient when the valve 43 is in the position indicated so that water drained from the slab 25 will be directed through the strainer 51 and with the valve 42 in the position shown this bath water will be directed to the sump tank 38. This will take care of the bath water. Then with the valve 41 in the position indicated, hot water will flow from the water heater 37 under the pressure provided by the pump 36 which is taking water from the main fresh water tank 32. This heated water, after passing through the valve 41, will be directed to the mixing valve 28 and to the sprinkler head 30. At the same time, a portion of the water pumped from the main tank 32 will be directed through a check valve 45 and a conduit 44 to the mixing valve 28. This mixing valve 28 will then operate to vary the temperature of the bath Water When the spray head is in use. As the patient is being bathed, the used bath Water will be directed from the slab 25 through the valve 43 to the strainer 51 and then to the sump tank 38 through the valve 42. As an alternative, if the valve 43 is in its second position, the drainage from the slab 25 may be directed through the conduit 48 to the sewer connection 49. As the sump tank 38 accumulates used bath water and becomes filled, the hydrostatic control switch 59 will activate the sump pump 39, which will force the used bath water through a suitable check valve (not shown) and to the diatomaceous earth filter 40. As the filtered and purified water leaves the filter 40 it will flow through the two-way valve 57 and back to the main fresh water tank 32 by way of the connection 56. If it is desired to interrupt this circulating cycle at this point, the water discharged from the diatomaceous earth filter 40 may be directed through valve 57 to a sewerage drain 58. In this operation the main fresh water tank 32 will not be replenished with bath water and therefore to meet this condition the tank 32 is shown as having a filter cap 60. For a reverse flow or flushing of the water strainer 51, the valves 41 and 42 will be turned into their second positions to permit water to flow there between through the conduit 54 and the connection 52 to the filter 51 and through the valve 43 directly to the sewerage connection 48. In this manner the hot water passing through the strainer 51 will operate to flush out any efl'luent material or hair which might collect therein. This reverse flushing operation will also make it possible to clean the strainer 51 without disassembling.

In FIGURE of the drawings, there is shown a modification of my invention which may be used in cases where a full and complete bathing operation may not be required. In this showing there are two water tanks 62 and 63 of equal size with a strainer 64 in a drainage pipe 65 leading from the slab 25 and to the water tank 63 where the used bath water is collected until full. When this occurs, the tank 63 may be emptied directly into the sewer through a conduit 66. At the same time, the fresh water tank 62 will be refilled to provide fresh water for further bathing operations. In this arrangement, the sump tank 38 and the diatomaceous filter 40, with the circulating pump 39, have been omitted. In this showing the hot and cold water supply system for the shower spray head 30 is connected directly to the mixing valve 28 without the two-way valve 41 and with this exception, the connections are substantially as shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing. The tanks 62 and 63 are of substantially equal capacity, and, as a result, the apparatus may be moved from one bedside to another for such number of bathing operations as will require the water provided by the fresh Water tank 32.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose my invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated a specific form and arrangements, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific forms disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bedside bathing apparatus for hospitals and the like, the combination of an elongated power driven chassis having speed and direction controlling means, a shallow water collecting slab extending over substantially the entire top of said chassis, an extendable shower water dispenser at one end of said shallow water collecting slab, characterized by the fact that mounted Within said chas' sis there is a supply tank of bath water sufiicient for a plurality of bathing operations with a used water collecting system including a sump tank and a filter through which said used water is returned to said supply tank and forming a portable self-contained unit, and a pressurized bath water conducting system from said supply tank to said shower Water dispenser having two paths one of which includes a hot water heater.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the filter through which the used water is returned to the supply tank is of the diatomaceous earth type.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the used water circulating system has an electric motor driven pump that is controlled by a hydrostatic relay responsive to the volume of water collected in the sump tank.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,466,047 8/1923 Johnstone 4-173 2,560,997 7/1951 Thompson 4-185 2,603,796 7/1952 Danielsen et a1. 4-173 2,798,229 7/1957 McQuown 4-179 2,850,742 9/1958 Glintz 4-1l2 2,888,683 6/1959 Medlock 4-179 2,975,435 3/1961 Forrest 4-185 XR 3,010,116 11/1961 Cowley 4-173 3,015,828 1/1962 Beebe 4-148 3,192,537 7/1965 Coffman 4-159 FOREIGN PATENTS 841,883 5/1939 France.

1,309,939 10/1962 France.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

HENRY K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A BEDSIDE BATHING APPARATUS FOR HOSPITALS AND THE LIKE, THE COMBINATION OF AN ELONGATED POWER DRIVEN CHASSIS HAVING SPEED AND DIRECTION CONTROLLING MEANS, A SHALLOW WATER COLLECTING SLAB EXTENDING OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE TOP OF SAID CHASSIS, AN EXTENDABLE SHOWER WATER DISPENSER AT ONE END OF SAID SHALLOW WATER COLLECTING SLAB, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CHASSIS THERE IS A SUPPLY TANK OF BATH WATER SUFFICIENT FOR A PLURALITY OF BATHING OPERATIONS WITH A USED WATER COLLECT- 